


The Difference In Rules and What's Right

by heartsdesire456



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Hacking, Humor, Lies, M/M, Questions About Phil's Recovery, Secret Marriage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-04
Updated: 2013-12-04
Packaged: 2018-01-03 10:57:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1069663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartsdesire456/pseuds/heartsdesire456
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Skye first noticed the glint when Coulson walked out of his office and to the cockpit during turbulence and put his hand out to brace himself. There was a golden glint on his left hand that caught her eye. So when he came back she watched and, sure enough, he had a wedding band on. She didn’t think much of it until when they met up for briefing around the holotable later and it was gone. </p>
<p>She watched for several days and didn’t see the ring again, so she assumed it wasn’t a wedding band like she assumed. Until a few weeks later, he came out of his office to make a sandwich and she saw the wedding band up close and personal on his left hand. </p>
<p>To say it made her curious was an understatement.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Difference In Rules and What's Right

**Author's Note:**

> Just a short little ficlet I got the idea for RIGHT before bed one night.

Skye first noticed the glint when Coulson walked out of his office and to the cockpit during turbulence and put his hand out to brace himself. There was a golden glint on his left hand that caught her eye. So when he came back she watched and, sure enough, he had a wedding band on. She didn’t think much of it until when they met up for briefing around the holotable later and it was gone. 

She watched for several days and didn’t see the ring again, so she assumed it wasn’t a wedding band like she assumed. Until a few weeks later, he came out of his office to make a sandwich and she saw the wedding band up close and personal on his left hand. 

To say it made her curious was an understatement. 

~

She was playing ‘Go Fish’ with FitzSimmons when Coulson came out and passed to go see Ward and she noticed the ring was gone today. “So, what’s up with Coulson’s wedding band?” she asked and FitzSimmons both stopped and gave her confused looks. 

“Probably none of your business.” They all startled when Ward sat down on the empty side of the table. 

Skye rolled her eyes. “But he has a wedding ring. Sometimes he’s wearing it and other times he’s not.”

Fitz hummed. “Maybe he’s having an affair and takes it off?”

“With who?” Skye asked. “The most downtime we’ve got was an overnight in a hotel _once_. Unless he’s sleeping with one of you,” she said, looking them over. She eyed Simmons.

Simmons flushed and spluttered. “I would NEVER! He’s older than my _dad_!” May raised an eyebrow. “And! And he’s my boss!” she said quickly. 

“And he’s not sleeping with _me_. So if he’s having an affair, why does he wear it here where his wife isn’t?”

Ward shook his head. “It actually doesn’t make sense for him to wear a ring at all. No jewelry in the field, if you can help it. A wedding band could easily become a problem.” 

Skye sat back. “So why does he wear it?”

“Who is wearing what?” They all startled and turned to see May coming past. “Is Fitz being strange again?” she asked with an almost accusing stare.

Skye looked around at the others, who all were staring and she shrugged, looking back at her. “Actually I was asking about Phil’s wedding ring,” she said and she could sense Simmons shaking her head rapidly behind her.

May narrowed her eyes. “He doesn’t wear a wedding ring.”

“He does sometimes, I’ve seen it,” Skye said and May looked at her almost too blankly.

“You’re getting better at observation,” she said, though she seemed a little annoyed.

Skye eyed her up and down. “You know something-“

“And it’s none of your business,” May said firmly, leaving no room for discussion. “Don’t ask him about it and just forget you ever saw it,” she said, looking at the others too. Skye turned to see them all nodding and she turned back to argue but May was gone. 

She hummed and turned back to the others. “Well that was weird,” she said, then shrugged. “What d’ya think? Is he divorced? Maybe being dead for a little while was too much for her to handle,” she muttered as she looked at her hand again, trying to decide what to ask for next.

Ward hummed. “It’s possible she’s not level seven so she wasn’t cleared to know he made it,” he said absently but Skye jerked so hard she tossed her cards.

“WHAT?!” she demanded, looking at the others only to see them eying her in confusion. “That- that can _happen_?! Spouses aren’t given medical privileges?!” 

Simmons gave her a confused look. “Well… no. Obviously, if a high-level agent of SHIELD is injured on mission their power of attorney goes to Director Fury.”

Fitz nodded. “Now lower levels like Jemma and me? We are able to appoint someone on the same level.” He gestured. “Jemma is mine and I’m hers. Our families can’t be it for confidentiality reasons.”

Skye clenched her eyes and shook her head in disbelief. “Wait, so- so Coulson’s _wife_ could be out there and think he’s _dead_ because the Director chose not to tell her?” she asked, looking around at them.

Ward raised an eyebrow. “Yes? This is SHIELD, if you’re not cleared to know something, you _do not_ know it.” He grabbed a pretzel out of the bowl in the center of the table. “I had to be upgraded to level seven to join this team. May was already level seven. The only reason FitzSimmons know about Coulson being alive is because he requested them for his team.”

Simmons nodded. “And we promoted for this,” she said with a bright little smile. “We were level one cadets another year from level two at least-“

“If not longer,” Fitz interjected.

“Yes, possibly longer, but we were randomly taken out of class one day and promoted to level two and then sent here,” Simmons finished. 

Ward nodded. “If they had passed their Field Tests they would’ve been bumped past level two to level three,” he added. 

Skye just stared. “You’re missing the point! A.C. could have a _wife_ who _thinks he’s dead_?! He would just _accept_ that?” she asked.

Ward nodded. “Yes. He has no choice in the matter.”

Fitz nodded. “Coulson is level eight. There are very few level eight agents. You only get that high by being devoted to SHIELD for a long time. You don’t question the system if you’re that high.”

Skye gritted her teeth. “But that’s bullshit! I’ve seen Coulson defy orders. I’ve seen him flat out ignore what he’s been told. He’s a rebellious guy!”

“Maybe by the time he woke up he realized it was too late?” Fitz suggested. “He was out for a while, I hear. Maybe it was months or something before he was able to contact her but by then she had started to move on and he didn’t want to hurt her more or put her in danger by breaking regs?”

Ward nodded. “There are plenty of reasons he would go along with it. He sacrificed himself when he ‘died’ to save the world. He has more than enough reasons to think about things in the big picture.”

Skye gaped. “Does nobody see the problem here?” she asked, looking around. “This is like… the most monumentally unfair thing I’ve ever heard of.”

Simmons shrugged. “You don’t join SHIELD for fairness.”

Skye just shook her head. “So messed up,” she grumbled, picking up her cards one by one.

~

Skye tried to resist, she really did. 

… but in the end she just _had_ to look into Coulson’s wife. 

She started with SHIELD files but even when she went to Fitz to get more insight into SHIELD programming, and bribed him with a trip to the monkey exhibit at the zoo next time they landed near one, he couldn’t help her. “Look, maybe she died,” Fitz said with finality. “A lot of people died in Manhattan. If she was SHIELD, she could’ve died on the helicarrier. Or at Pegasus. Or if she was a civilian, she could’ve been killed on the ground, you never know.”

Skye hummed. “Civilian… I didn’t even THINK to check vital records!” she said, hugging Fitz. “Thanks, you’re a genius!” She rushed off to hack into the marriage records for the state of New York – she knew Phil was from somewhere else, but he seemed to have lived there for a while – and started looking for Phil Coulson. It took her a while but eventually she found a civilian mailing address for Phil, if nothing else. She was able to use that to find out who _else_ used that same mailing address.

Only one other person used Phil’s mailing address: Clinton F Barton.

Skye frowned at her screen, then put her phone in her pocket, going to find Simmons. She found her fixing a salad in the galley and hopped onto the stool nearest her. “Hey Jemma is A.C.- well, AC/DC?” she asked and Simmons looked up with a frown.

“Is he… electrical current?” she asked, looking confused.

Skye rolled her yes. “No, does he bat for both teams? Does his door swing both ways?” she wiggled her eyebrows and Simmons tilted her head. “Oh God, _is he into dudes, too_?”

Simmons gasped. “Ooooh!” She frowned. “I… don’t know. Not sure I want to,” she added with a hum before nodding. “Yep, definitely don’t want to know,” she said, turning to walk out with her salad. 

Skye glared at her and then pulled out her phone again. “Oh well, guess I’ll have to just dig a little deeper.”

~

It took Skye three days to realize Clinton F. Barton was not only a SHIELD Agent, but a high ranking one. Once she hacked SHIELD files, she finally met her match in firewalls and couldn’t get _into_ his recent files. His older files – all a year or more old – were very impressive. She also noticed that more often than anyone else, his listed handler was P. Coulson. 

It couldn’t be a coincidence. 

His last known place of residence – prior to the locked files – was a condo in Brooklyn. She figured the next time they were in New York, she’d sneak off for a little while and go try to pay Mr. Clinton F. Barton a visit. 

~

Skye realized, as she pressed the buzzer for the apartment she had listed, that if Clinton F. Barton had been Coulson’s husband, chances were, he relocated after Coulson ‘died’. However, when the door buzzed open for her without any questions, she decided to at least try. She climbed up to the fourth floor and knocked on the door. There was no reply and no shuffling inside, so she knocked again. However, before her third rap could fall, she was grabbed from behind and a hand was slapped over her mouth to muffle her scream.

“Who sent you?” a voice growled in her ear.

“MM MUMPH MEEELM!” she cried but he didn’t seem to hear her. He relaxed his hand a little and she snapped at his hands. “I’m with SHIELD! Now watch the hands or I’ll bite off your finger,” she threatened.

“Bullshit,” the voice said. “SHIELD relocated me. I only came here because someone hacked SHIELD files and saw my old address. Now _spill_ -“

“I am! I’m with SHIELD!” she argued.

“Who is your C-O?” he demanded, hand going around her throat this time.

“Ward! Grant Ward,” she choked out. 

There was silence. “Ward was reassigned on long-term mission. Describe him,” he commanded and she groaned.

“Tall, built like a brick shithouse, dark hair, cheekbones, a total dickface with attitude problems, do I need to go on?” she asked, only to suddenly be released so fast she nearly fell over. She wheeled around and threw a punch, but she was quickly stopped by a hand grabbing her fist as easily as ever.

The man before her wasn’t exactly hard on the eyes himself. He was a little shorter than Ward, but he had arms and a chest that rivaled Ward’s. His eyes were a beautiful, deep blue, and his hair was a shorter but slightly shaggy sandy color. “Wow, you do know Grant Ward,” he said, then tapped her fist. “Your C/O teaches people how to punch wrong. Nice try, though.”

She looked him over. “Clinton F. Barton?” she asked and he made a face.

“Ew, why would you do that? It’s Clint Barton. Usually just Barton, though,” he added, then eyed her curiously. “So… if you’re part of SHIELD, why were you snooping on me?” He frowned. “You obviously aren’t who they sent to kill me.”

She gaped. “What?! SHIELD would _kill you_?!”

Barton raised an eyebrow at her. “I’m level six. Why wouldn’t SHIELD kill me if they needed me out of the organization?” he asked.

“Oh crap, are they going to kill me when I’m no longer useful?” she asked, groaning. “Ah man, first my van and now they’re gonna kill me!”

That eyebrow just crept higher. “Jesus, Kid, how green are you?” he asked, looking somewhere between amused and confused. 

She scoffed. “Dude, I’m so new. Like, four months ago I was a happy little homeless hacker for the Rising Tide and now I’m a consultant for SHIELD traveling around with a covert ops group and I probably shouldn’t be telling you all that,” she realized, cringing. “But yeah, dude, I nearly lost my shit when we had to go to the Hub.” Skye’s phone ringing interrupted and she gasped. “Shit, they’ll trace that now that I’m ‘missing’,” she said, then shoved it in her pocket. “They can’t know I’m here. Come with me,” she said, linking their arms together, leading the way to the stairs. “We’re going for a walk.”

Barton seemed amused so he followed her. “So, are you on the run and came to try and find me? Cause I’m not looking for a running buddy.”

She frowned. “What? No. We’ve got two days off and I needed to come find you.” When they got out on the street, she steered him towards the train station. “If I’m on the train by the time they trace me, I have a plausible excuse for being so near your old house,” she said as they ran towards the stairs.

“Just know that if you try to kill me, you’re seriously getting a beat down,” Barton said.

Skye rolled her eyes. “Please, I worked really hard to find you. Killing you would make that all pointless.” 

Barton shrugged. “So we’re going behind SHIELD’s back? Sweet, sounds fun,” he said, waiting patiently until they were on the train and it started moving before looking at Skye. “Alright, you haven’t even told me your name. Start there.”

She took a breath. “My name is Skye. A few months ago I tracked down a man with super powers. SHIELD was tracking him, too. That’s how I met my current team,” she explained. “They found me and brought me in. I thought I was going to die but instead they shanghaied me onto their team.”

Barton grinned. “Yep! That’s how they do for all of us low-lifes they decide to turn good.”

She nodded. “I’ve gotten to know my team. I trust them for the most part, but I’ve lied to them enough that sometimes they don’t trust me.” She looked at him. “I’m doing this – talking to you – at the risk of them never trusting me again.”

He frowned. “Why? I’ve never met you. You don’t know me. I’m too important to SHIELD to be taken out by a newbie on a small team. Also,” he started, looking annoyed. “Why am I not on a team that searches out people with super powers?! That’s the one job I’d probably be most qualified for now.”

She bit her lip. “Look, Barton… what we need to talk about? It’s pretty personal.” She looked around at the people on the train. “I’ll tell you what I have to to make you believe me, but only when we’re somewhere else. I don’t want you to have to deal with this here.” 

“Personal?” he asked. “To you or me?”

She nodded to him. “To you.”

He eyed her curiously. “But you don’t know me.”

She sighed. “Unless I’m wrong then I think most likely I know more than I’m supposed to.” She looked at him. “Before I get off on the wrong foot, let me just confirm something.” She looked at his hand then up at his face. “Are you married?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Are you coming onto me?” She gave him a flat look and his eyes closed down a little as his jaw worked. “I was. Why does it matter to you? What is this about?”

She nodded sadly. “You’ll learn soon enough.”

When they got off the train, they went to a diner and Skye took them to the booth in the very back. “Okay, I want answers,” Barton demanded. “Who are you and why are you here?” 

She crossed her hands on the table, biting her lip. “I’m going to get in sooo much trouble for this, but I have a good feeling that- that SHIELD has really fucked you over. A lot.”

He made a sound of dissent. “Well, very few of my SHIELD co-workers will look at me anymore, but I got bumped up to a little something more important where I’m appreciated.” He shrugged. “Fair trade. Besides, things changed at work a lot.”

She bit her lip. “I saw that your handler on most of your missions was with a P. Coulson.” She watched the way his eyes flickered and his hand absently moved to his chest. She realized he was touching something under his shirt and some gaps fill in. “You said you were married.”

He smiled faintly. “You worked out Coulson was my husband from our SHIELD files? You’re smart,” he said, leaning back some with a sad smile. He saw her look at his hand and he tugged a necklace from under his shirt, showing her a wedding ring. “I can’t wear a ring, never could, but when I’m not on the job I keep this on,” he explained.

Skye’s heart lurched as she saw how sad he looked. “Jesus, SHIELD is so fucked,” she said softly. She shook her head, pushing her hair back. “God,” she realized. “He wears his in his office and forgot to take it off a few times,” she whispered to herself.

“Sorry?” Barton prompted and she looked up. He tensed at whatever he saw on her face. “What? Are you gonna finally explain yourself?”

She cleared her throat uncomfortably. “You asked me who my CO was, but you didn’t ask who the agent in charge over all of us is,” she said and he raised an eyebrow.

“It’s not Ward? I heard he got bumped up to level seven. If he’s on your team, I figured he was the one in charge. Hard to get higher than that,” he said with a shrug.

She nodded. “There’s two level twos, two level sevens, and a level eight on my team,” she said carefully.

Barton hesitated, hand falling away from his ring as his eyes swept up to hers. “I think you may be mistaken. There are currently only a handful of level eight or above agents in SHIELD. And I’m pretty sure they’ve all been accounted for for the past few weeks.”

She saw the fear and apprehension in his eyes and she nodded weakly. “Agent Phil Coulson is the head of my team-“

“No, no he’s not,” Barton interrupted. “Phil Coulson died. He was killed on the attack on the helicarrier-“

“He got better,” she said gently. “He was stabbed through the heart, but they revived him and he got better. Director Fury gave him his choice of a team. He had Grant Ward bumped up to level seven, since only level seven’s are allowed to know A.C. survived.”

Barton looked up with a look of rage and pain in his eyes. “Who is the other?”

“Melinda May-“

“Swear to God I knew something was wrong when she got transferred,” he spat. He shook his head. “She was Phil’s best friend. She- she used to be his partner. I knew when she transferred out of administrative that something was going on but I didn’t think it was- I couldn’t-“ He gritted his teeth. “He isn’t alive,” he said firmly. “Phil wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t let me go on thinking- He’d never do that.”

She gave him a weak smile. “Ward suggested that maybe he was too loyal to SHIELD to defy direct orders, but Simmons said that maybe he just didn’t want to put you in danger by telling you something you’re not cleared for, or that maybe he was out for so long he woke up and you had moved on?” she tried with a shrug.

Barton shook his head. “He wouldn’t do that. I’m sorry but maybe you have the wrong Phil Coulson. My husband wouldn’t do that to me,” he argued.

“It’s not.” She sighed. “I thought about finding his wife – well, husband – because I saw him wearing his wedding ring a few times. I’ve figured it out. He puts it on while he’s in his office,” she said softly. “He just forgot to take it off a few times when he came out to get something.”

Barton looked torn between thinking she was lying and fearing that she was telling the truth. “Why did you care?”

She grumbled. “Because the idea that he couldn’t or someone else didn’t tell his _spouse_ that he wasn’t _dead_ just because of stupid SHIELD regulations pissed me off. It’s so stupid! I’ve realized that we get away with a _lot_ on the Bus, I know A.C. lets us get away with tons, but that’s just insane.”

“The Bus?!” He ran a hand over his head. “Shit, that makes so much sense now. The Bus was pretty much retired, nobody needed it. The Helicarrier was bigger and did everything we needed.” He grumbled. “May would come out of retirement for that combination. Phil AND the Bus?” He looked at Skye. “And why do you call him A.C.?”

She smiled. “Because he’s too cool for ‘Agent Coulson’. A.C. is at least a little more hip,” she said with a shrug. 

Barton just stared at her. “You really like him, huh?”

She shrugged. “He agreed to help me and he gives me chances when I screw up. He believes in me.” She smiled sadly. “Nobody’s ever did that.”

Barton smiled with an almost heartbroken look. “God, it’s really him,” he breathed shakily.

She nodded. “I’m going to get in serious trouble for this, but I had to. It’s not fair. And I don’t care if you don’t join SHIELD for things to be ‘fair’, it’s stupid to make a man like Coulson miss his husband for no good reason,” she said firmly. “He _wears his ring_ when nobody is there to see it. There is nothing shy of the fate of the world that would make it okay. I don’t know why he didn’t go against orders, but knowing him, it’s probably for the good of the team and he doesn’t want to let us down so he sacrifices his own life.” She shook her head. “I’m doing what’s right. If that gets me in trouble, then so be it,” she finished.

Barton smirked. “I see why Phil likes you,” he said, then sighed. “Okay, so- so I know my husband isn’t dead – and God I’m fighting with that one because it’s too good to be true – but what do you think I should do about it? I don’t see how I’m supposed to demand answers if your team is on the Bus.”

She gave him a devious look. “If I tell you where she’s parked, think you can sneak on?”

He rolled his eyes. “Please, you clearly don’t know me,” he said with a grin, standing up. She handed him her phone and he eyed it.

“Just bring that back to me,” she said, nodding at it. “You’ll get some decent updates if you snoop around in there.”

He saluted. “I’ll leave it in your bunk if you don’t make it back before SHIELD inevitably hauls my ass off the Bus,” he said as he backed away then turned and left at a jog.

~

When Skye returned, she expected Barton to have been taken away and for Coulson to be waiting to yell at her, but instead it seemed like nothing had happened. FitzSimmons were watching a movie in the lounge, Ward was on his tablet off to the side, she didn’t see May, and the door to Coulson’s office was shut. 

She had just flopped down beside Fitz when the access panel in the hall outside of the control room opened and Barton dropped down. Fitz screamed a shockingly high scream, Simmons startled because of his scream, and Ward was up with a gun trained on Barton before Skye even saw him move. “WHAT THE BLOODY HELL?!” Fitz cried, jumping up, tugging Simmons up with him. She shoved him behind her and they both backed behind Ward.

Barton looked at Ward then at Skye, who was giving him a ‘what the hell, dude?!’ look from the couch and he cringed. “Damn. They’ve really remodeled the Bus, huh?” he said, scratching at the back of his neck with a sheepish grin. 

There was a clatter and May landed on the floor outside the staircase, gun trained on Barton from behind. He looked back then sighed, putting his hands on the back of his head. She froze then narrowed her eyes. “Barton,” she barked. “What the hell are you doing here?” she demanded, storming over. She grabbed his wrist from the back of his head and twisted his arm behind his back, marching him towards Ward, who lowered his gun. “Did you let him on?” she demanded of Ward, who shook his head.

“For the record,” Barton started. “The cargo bay door is open and if you flash the guards at your fun little ‘private’ airfield a SHIELD badge, they let you past without checking your clearance level.” He smirked. “Just FYI.”

Ward huffed. “Agent Barton, what could you possibly want here? How did you know about this unit anyways?”

Barton raised an eyebrow. “Let’s just say I’m not a level six cause I’m pretty, Kid,” he said with a challenging sneer. 

Ward’s shoulders straightened. “I think that’s ‘sir’, Barton, since I’m a superior level-“

“Superior to what? Cross down in engineering,” he challenged. “Please, you’re only a level seven because I was removed from the pool and you know it-“

“How about we focus on _why Agent Barton dropped out of our ceiling_!” Simmons interrupted. Her eyes flickered to him. “S-Sir, I-I don’t know you and I’m sorry if this is rude, but you- you have no business here. This is a special task force with a special clearance. And- and if Director Fury didn’t expressly invite you then you shouldn’t be here,” she said, looking slightly fearful but firm all at once.

Barton smirked. “Awww you’re gonna go far, Miss. I like you,” he said with a smile. “Give it ten years and you’ll be a commanding officer, no doubt.”

May slapped him in the back of the head. “I know what you’re here for and you can forget it. You are _not_ level seven-“

Barton’s head snapped around and his cheery expression shut down. “Bullshit, Melinda, that is fucking _bullshit_ -“

“And,” she continued over him. “I have a feeling I know exactly how you found out,” she said, eyes flickering to Skye, who froze like a deer in headlights. “However, if you get off this Bus right now, I won’t report either of you,” she said to Barton, then turned to Skye. “Deal?”

Skye looked at Barton, who turned back to her, and she remembered the look in his eyes when she had brought up his husband. She bit her lip, then stood up, squaring her shoulders. “I really do mean this respectfully,” she started softly. “But no way,” she said resolutely. “He _deserved_ to know-“

“Skye!” Simmons said in surprise. “What on earth are you doing?!”

Ward turned and gave her a disappointed and angry look. “You have had chance after chance. I thought you finally were on our side-“

Skye shook her head. “I want to be a SHIELD Agent because I want to do the _right thing_. I am Rising Tide because of the same reason. And you know what ISN’T RIGHT?!” she snapped. “Telling someone their _husband_ is _dead_ and letting them continue to think that when it’s not true!”

Ward looked confused. “What?” he asked with a frown. “WHAT are you even TALKING about?!”

“Shut up,” May hissed. “If you yell, Coulson will come looking, and I have to get this-“ She shook Barton, “off before he sees him and-“

“Why are you guys shouting?” They all froze at the sound of feet clunking down the stairs from Coulson’s office.

Skye put a hand over her mouth, almost afraid of how the next few minutes would go. Ward clearly was confused, FitzSimmons still looked like they wanted to flee. May’s head hung and Barton twisted around, going pale as his eyes zeroed in on the feet descending the stairs. “Damn it,” May muttered.

Barton gasped sharply. “Oh God, she’s not lying,” he rasped, looking almost green he was so pale. 

Coulson came around the bottom of the stairs with a clearly unsuspecting demeanor. “What did you get up to now-“ He froze when May stepped back and he caught sight of the man she was restraining. “Clint,” he breathed.

Ward frowned. “Sir? Are you okay?” he asked, but Coulson didn’t answer. He walked closer, stopping hesitantly a few yards from them. “Sir?”

Barton’s jaw clenched and he shook out of May’s hold to take a step closer. “So. Skye was telling the truth. You’re not dead,” he said in a shaky voice.

Coulson winced. “It didn’t stick,” he said with a small shrug. “Eight seconds. Or forty, depending on who you ask.”

Barton nodded tightly. “Right.” He tilted his head and then, before anyone could react, he had crossed the last few feet and punched Coulson right in the jaw, knocking him backwards a few feet as he stumbled. “YOU BASTARD!” Barton snarled, following him. “You _asshole_!” he cried, punching him with the other arm, in the cheek this time. “I should fix that ‘didn’t stick’ problem now, you selfish piece of-“ Ward and May both grabbed him and he let out a growl of rage. “You motherfucker, I swear to God, Phil, you are such a bastard-“

“THAT IS A SUPERIOR OFFICER!” Ward shouted over his spitting and cursing as he and May dragged him back. He pushed him back towards the wall. “You will use _respect_ when addressing a level eight-“

Barton shook off May and stood with his hands clenched, muscles bulging as he glowered, getting right up in Ward’s face. “I’m pretty sure a widower doesn’t have to respect the husband that _isn’t dead_ no matter what fucking level SHIELD agent he is, _Grant_ so back off before I break that pretty face, huh Kid?” he hissed.

“Clint, he doesn’t know, leave him alone-“ Barton wheeled around, pointing at Coulson. 

“YOU can shut the hell up,” he said with a hoarseness to his voice. 

Skye bit her lip and walked over, laying a hand on Barton’s shoulder. “Calm down,” she said gently and he turned to meet her eyes. “I know you’re angry, but Ward has an itchy trigger finger and May has wanted to toss someone out the emergency exit to see them splat on the tarmac while we’re parked. Maybe you- maybe you should just go discuss this in private?” she suggested. 

Barton took a calming breath then turned to face Coulson. “Got an office?” he asked and Coulson nodded, looking shaky.

“Upstairs,” he said gently, in an oddly careful tone for someone with a bleeding cut on his cheekbone. 

Ward reached an arm out and stopped him. “You’re not going up there alone.”

Coulson sighed and closed his eyes. “He won’t hurt me. Don’t worry.”

Ward shot him a disbelieving look. “No disrespect sir, but he just tried to kick your ass-“

“Ward, that wasn’t a suggestion,” Coulson said firmly. “Agent Barton won’t hurt me. Let him go.”

Ward hesitated and May rolled her eyes. “Better idea.” She turned and looked at the others. “Skye. Go with them.” She narrowed her eyes. “You can explain all about how Agent Barton learned about our _secret_ team,” she said and Skye squared her shoulders, refusing to look ashamed.

“Good idea,” she said, stalking past Ward. She stopped beside Barton and smiled. “Good with you?”

Barton rolled his eyes. “You are the only person on this plane that I don’t want to punch right now,” he said, letting her guide him past the carefully blank Coulson and to the spiral staircase. 

When they got to Coulson’s office, Skye walked in and plopped down on one of the chairs in Coulson’s office. Barton slowly walked around, looking at all the things around the room. He shook his head. “This is all the stuff SHIELD ‘confiscated’ from our home,” he muttered to Skye, who cringed.

“Dude, SHIELD really sucks.” She looked up at him. “And I thought it was horrible that they didn’t bother telling Ward and Fitz that there's no extraction on that mission. This is so much worse.”

Barton chuckled. “We never had extraction plans.” He walked over and sat beside her. “Never needed them. We knew if our self-planned escape failed, Phil would come for us.” A shadow of pain passed over his face.

She smiled sadly. “You knew that through. Fitz isn’t even a field agent. He’s a level two that failed his field tests. And Ward was told there was an extraction.”

Barton grumbled. “SHIELD has always been sketchy. I’m so glad I’m an Avenger now. Fury gives us ‘suggestions’ more than orders really-“

“Holy shit _what_?!” Skye squeaked. “You’re a _what_?!”

Barton raised an eyebrow at her. “Uh, yeah? Hawkeye. You didn’t-“

“NO I didn’t know I was getting all buddy-buddy with a _super hero_!”she squeaked, then blushed. “Um… did I just squeak?” She cringed. “Sorry, sorry. Just, you know, a shocker.” He looked amused and she rolled her eyes. “Whatever, it’s not like anybody’s _seen_ you. You’re one of the ‘invisible’ Avengers. How should I know?”

“That’s because Agent Barton is a sniper.” They both tensed when Coulson’s voice sounded and the door snapped shut quietly. He rounded his office, settling into his chair nervously. “You wouldn’t see him because that’s his job. To not be seen.”

Barton narrowed his eyes. “Seems like I’m not the only one good at being invisible.”

Coulson’s eyes slid shut and he leaned on his desk. “Clint-“

“Don’t _Clint_ me,” Barton argued in a tight voice. “How- how could you not even tell me you’re alive, Phil?” he asked weakly. “If- if you didn’t want me anymore, why didn’t you at least tell me you’re not _dead_.”

Coulson’s head snapped up. “Don’t ever suggest I don’t want you-“

“YOU LET ME THINK YOU DIED!” Barton argued.

Skye slid down in her seat some, trying her best to be invisible even as Coulson spoke. “You’re level six. My survival is only cleared for level seven and above-“

“Bullshit, you are _not_ Fury’s little lapdog,” Barton argued. “You take risks. You push the envelope. You defy orders if you think it’s important. If ‘clearance levels’ is your only excuse, you’re basically saying you didn’t think I mattered enough to know.”

Coulson tilted his head. “Speaking of knowing.” He turned to Skye, who froze. “How on earth did you work out that I was married, nonetheless who to.” He shook his head. “Not even SHIELD knows officially about this.”

She glanced at his hand pointedly, where his ring was on his finger. “You walk out of here with that still on sometimes. I asked the others about it and Ward suggested that either your wife had died or possibly she wasn’t a level seven. The others didn’t seem nearly as outraged as I was at the idea that there could be a widow out there that isn’t a widow. So I looked into it. I couldn’t find a marriage record, but I found your old mailing address and saw that the address was shared by a Clinton F. Barton. I recognized the name from the SHIELD files. You were his handler a lot in the past so I decided to go find him.” She nodded to Barton. “When I explained why I was there, he didn’t believe me at first, but we talked and I told him enough to make him believe me. Then I agreed to give him directions to get here.”

Barton smirked. “Oh yeah.” He leaned up and dug her phone from his pocket, dropping it in her hand. “Thanks.”

Coulson put his head in his hands. “Skye, I’ve given you a thousand chances. Why do you have to do things like this-“

She glowered as she interrupted. “Because it’s _right_ ,” she argued, and Coulson looked up. “Look, I _respect_ you, A. C.” She swallowed. “You know me enough to know that respecting you is a big deal. You have done more for me and given me more chances than anybody else ever has. You make me want to do things because they’re right.” She shook her head. “But this isn’t right. YOU aren’t right. How was I supposed to respect you if I didn’t find out the truth about why the best man I’ve ever met had a spouse who thought he was still dead out there?”

Coulson shook his head. “Skye, there is so much you don’t understand-“

“I understand that you wear your ring when nobody is here to see it,” she argued. “You clearly don’t enjoy it. Why? Why would you not tell him? A.C., you push the system all the time. Why the hell would you let him think you’re dead if not because you _couldn’t_? I figured you had no choice, so I did it for you-“

“Did you ever stop and think that maybe I didn’t WANT Clint to know?!” Coulson snapped, startling her into silence.

Barton’s entire demeanor darkened. “So you decided you didn’t want me anymore and thought ‘oh, this is convenient, let him think I’m dead-“

“Clint, no, that’s not what I mean-“

“OH REALLY?!” he cried, standing up. “That’s what it sounds like, Phil! That’s the only possible explanation!”

Coulson shook his head. “You had a team. By the time I woke up, you had settled in with them. You were happy and out from under the shadow of what happened that made SHIELD uneasy around you. You were already a _super hero_ , Clint! How could I mess that up-“

“HOW COULD YOU THINK THAT MATTERED?!” Barton shouted back, face red with anger. Skye realized they had both pretty much forgot she existed and she wanted to leave, but was afraid any sudden movements would make them suddenly aware of her again. 

“It’s not that I didn’t think it mattered, I thought it was just easier after Fury had already told you-“

Barton’s voice cracked when he cut Coulson off. “It’s been almost a year since Manhattan and there hasn’t been a single day I didn’t want to _run_ because you were gone, Phil,” he choked out, jaw clenching and unclenching as he fought back his emotions. “I didn’t find out until after we had won. I was fucking _ecstatic_! We won and I’d done everything I could to make up for what I did under mind control and we were walking through the streets to head somewhere and I turned to Natasha and said ‘I bet Phil will be so relieved to hear from us since he hasn’t had ears on this one’ and she _stopped walking_ ,” he whispered weakly. 

Coulson’s calm mask had long since slipped, but Skye had never seen him look so openly broken. “Clint,” he breathed weakly, and Barton shook his head.

“Do you think a day has passed since then that I wouldn’t trade _all of it_ just for the chance to say _goodbye_?” he asked, voice hollow. “I don’t care about any of it as much as I care about _you_ , Phil.” He sat down heavily, leaning his elbows on his knees. “I’d have given it all up any single day – the team, the battles, having honest to God _friends_ \- just for the chance to go back and- and to have been there. Even if I couldn’t have saved you, I could’ve at least been with you in the end like I always swore I would be. I could’ve at least told you goodbye, Phil.” He looked up and Skye couldn’t help the lump in her throat when she saw the unshed tears in his eyes. “And you’ve been _alive_ all this time?”

Coulson looked sick. “Clint, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry I ever hurt you. But even then,” he said uncomfortably, “I couldn’t have did that to you. You say that you would give it up, but you’ve never had this before. You’ve never had friends, or any sort of stability. You save lives on a larger scale than ever. You are too important to the world for me to have come back when you’ve handled your recovery from that day so well and mess it up again.

Barton shook his head angrily. “That’s just bullshit, though! If you wanted me, if you _wanted_ to see me again, you wouldn’t have cared! If you loved me the way that I love you – the way I’ve _always_ loved you – you wouldn’t have thought _twice_ -“

“I did think twice BECAUSE I love you!” Coulson argued. “Please, Clint-“

“Nothing you say makes SENSE!” Barton snapped. “Don’t you dare say you love me after not bothering to even tell me that you’re okay-“

“BECAUSE I DON’T KNOW THAT!” Coulson cried desperately, startling Skye.

Barton hesitated. “Phil?” he asked weakly and Coulson groaned.

“I don’t know that, Clint,” he admitted weakly. “I’m not right.” He deflated leaning back in his chair. “I- I’m not okay. I’m also _too_ okay.” He looked down at his hands. “I’m too healthy too fast. I don’t remember what happened. I can’t remember much of anything for the first three months after Loki,” he explained. “They think I’m oblivious but I’m not! I know something’s seriously wrong. I’m blocked from seeing my medical files, I’m almost in better shape than before I got killed, but then I can’t do things.” He shook his head. “I’m having trouble with my coordination. My muscle memory is nonexistent.” He looked up and met Barton’s eyes. “I didn’t want to tell you I’m alive only to find out that I’m _not_ the same as I was.”

Barton frowned. “What could it be though?” He gestured to his face. “You’re bleeding. Androids don’t bleed. They also don’t scar. You’d have noticed if you didn’t have your scars, Phil.”

Phil groaned. “I know. But the fact of it all is, something is wrong.” He looked up. “Clint, if I’m not me then what would have made it worth upending your life? You’re happy. You have a team that needs you. What kind of person would I be to come back into your life months after my ‘death’ and mess with a good system that makes you happy if I’m not even the man you married?” he asked sadly. 

Barton stared at him then shook his head, frowning. “But why would that matter?” he asked softly and Coulson shot him a flat look. “No, really. You’re not an android. And even- even if you were, you’re _you_ ,” he stressed. He leaned against the desk so he could look Coulson in the eyes. “You are right? As a person, not physically.”

“I don’t even know how you could separate my brain from my body and not find that a problem-“

“What’s my middle name?” he asked.

Coulson frowned. “Francis, what-“

Barton smiled. “Where did we go on our honeymoon?”

Coulson rolled his eyes. “What honeymoon? We got married in the middle of a firefight in the desert in Yemen. A US military priest performed the ceremony over the comms and we shouted our vows between bursts of gunfire, we kissed when I hauled you up into the rescue helicopter you jumped onto the skid of off of a roof while the building was going down beneath you, and then made it official and did the legal part back here when we got home two weeks later.”

Barton’s smile finally met his eyes this time. “And you think you’re not my Phil?” he asked, tilting his head. “Phil… I married you,” he whispered, searching his eyes. “I don’t care what medical experiments they did to you. I don’t care if you have android insides. _You_ are my husband.” He shook his head. “How could you think I could be happy with my team without you if there was any chance I could see you again?” He reached out, hand waiting on the desk. “Phil?”

Coulson’s head slumped and he reached out, sliding his hand into Barton’s. “But what if I’m not me, Clint? What kind of person does that to the person they love the most? Who would I be if I put you through losing me, getting me back, and then losing me again?”

Barton shook his head, leaning in until he was nearly out of his seat to pull their hands to his mouth, kissing Coulson’s knuckles. “I don’t care if you’re a hologram, Phil. You are in there. _You_ are the man I married, not your physical being, you dumbass.”

Coulson gave a dry smile. “And here I thought you married me for my body,” he deadpanned and Barton chuckled.

“Well, you’re not at all hard on the eyes, Boss,” he said, looking into Coulson’s eyes. He smiled tentatively. “I’m still _really_ angry at you, Phil.”

Coulson gave him a guilty smile. “I know.”

“But I really, really cannot express how happy I am to see you at the same time,” he added. He reached out and winced when he swiped his thumb below the cut he put on Coulson’s cheek. “Sorry about that.”

Coulson chuckled. “No you’re not,” he said and Barton grinned.

“Yeah not really. You don’t even know how angry.” He leaned closer. “You know that I’m not leaving until you let me conference with the others and you tell the truth, right?”

Coulson scoffed. “No way, Fury would have my ass-“

“And you can bet that sweet ass that I’m letting you do it over a video feed instead of going to the Tower in person to let Natasha beat the ever-loving hell out of you.” He smirked. “Sorry, Honey, not even Melinda could get me off this Bus.”

Coulson chortled. “I dare you to say that to her face,” he said, and Barton shuddered. Coulson gave a private, gentle smile. “Nah, better not. I like you alive.”

Barton’s face sobered and he swallowed hard. “I like you alive too, Phil,” he whispered shakily.

Coulson winced minutely. “Clint, I’m so sorry-“ He was silenced by a kiss.

Skye’s eyes widened as Barton leaned halfway across the desk, standing from his chair and nearly laying across it to kiss Coulson. She smiled a little bit at how sweet it was.

… until Coulson _moaned_ and Barton whimpered. Skye’s smile slipped off her face, only to be replaced by an alarmed cringe when Coulson stood up, hands gripping Barton’s upper arms rightly. She slowly started to shift. “I think I’m just gonna-“ Coulson growled and swept all the things off the top of his desk, yanking Barton forward so he had to scramble onto the desk and shove his hands under Coulson’s jacket. “EW NO!” Skye cried as she shot up and darted for the door, slamming it shut behind her. 

Inside she heard a throaty chuckle and a mumble and didn’t wait around for anything else that might scar her further, choosing instead to rush down the stairs and back into the lounge.

~

Skye had just started on her first cup of coffee, across from where Simmons was doing her best to talk Fitz into eating eggs and not just toast and nutella when a yawn sounded behind her. She turned to greet Ward, only to choke on her coffee when she saw Barton had come down from upstairs. Fitz whistled and Simmons dropped her fork. “Good God, what is that bum?!” she muttered, then slapped a hand over her mouth, making Fitz bark out a laugh.

Skye whistled, smirking at Barton after she had regained her composure. “Damn, Barton, those sweatpants really show off the junk in the trunk,” she said and he smirked.

“Why do you think I borrowed them instead of putting my jeans on this morning?” he countered, reaching into the small refrigerator for the milk. “Who has an extra coffee mug?” he asked.

“Sorry, just the six,” Ward said as he came around the corner, bumping into Barton purposefully as he passed him and grabbed a box of corn flakes.

Barton rolled his eyes and grabbed the Captain America mug from the sink instead. “Fine then, I’ll just drink out of Phil’s,” he said, then winked at Ward on the way past. “And really, no need to feel threatened, it’s not your fault you aren’t the hottest guy around anymore. Age has its advantages, Kid,” he said, winking at Ward as he slid around and hopped up to the counter beside Skye. “Morning, Skye,” he greeted and she snickered when she saw the purple and blue mark on his neck where the far-too-small tee-shirt shifted.

“Whose shirt is that? That nasty love bite has to sting with the shirt pressing on it.”

Barton sighed happily. “I’ve really missed wearing Phil’s too-small Army tee-shirts and having the neck of the shirt aggravate hickeys. It’s an acquired kind of pleasant feeling,” he said, leering at the way Fitz was blushing at him. “Don’t worry, you adorable little thing, you. Being in SHIELD gets you chicks eventually.”

May slid up beside him, startling even Barton. “If only you did get ‘chicks’ instead of _Coulson_ ,” she said, glancing at Skye. “Her bunk is on the other side of the Bus, mine is at the bottom of the stairs.”

It seemed to take them varying amounts of time to get what she was saying, but Barton just smirked smugly. “You’re welcome for the free soundtrack-“

“You better be talking about letting her borrow a CD, Barton,” Coulson said as he walked in, already dressed in his perfect suit and tie. He stole the mug out of Barton’s hands and sipped some before handing it back. “Stop harassing my team.”

Barton shrugged, giving him a playful smile. “I’m just making up for the year you got away without my friendly chatter, Boss Man.”

Coulson rolled his eyes dramatically and sighed, but Skye saw the corner of his lips upturned when he turned to the side. “Aww, you like him being a smartass, just admit it.”

May grumbled. “Oh he likes it alright.”

“Probably a good thing I put a ring on it then,” Coulson said, still facing the toaster.

Clint smirked but the others all groaned. “Oh wow, that was _so lame_ ,” Skye groaned and Simmons nodded.

“That was a bad pun and my best friend is _Fitz_ -“

“Hey!”

Clint just grinned. “Shut up, his lameness is one of the things I love best about Phil.”

Ward shook his head. “That is so weird.”

Skye nodded. “A. C. does not look like a ‘Phil’,” she agreed. 

Barton smirked at Coulson’s turned back. “Trust me, Phil isn’t always Badass Agent Coulson. The way I hear it, he accidentally confessed to Captain America that he liked to watch him sleep-“

“Barton!” Coulson barked, spots of pink appearing on his cheeks as he whirled around. “That is _classified_ -“

May rolled her eyes. “Oh please, that’s only classified because Fury thought nobody would take you seriously anymore after your little geek moment.” She smirked as much as May ever smirked. “‘I was present… while you were unconscious.’” She quoted and Barton snickered.

“You should’ve seen the shrine in our closet-“

“Okay, we’re going to go confess to your team right now,” Coulson said suddenly, dropping his breakfast and grabbing Barton by the shirt collar when he walked past him. “We’re confessing and then you are leaving my Bus and going back to your own team before-“

“Before I tell them about the boxers?” Barton goaded. “Oh Honey, I’ve got a years’ worth of passive aggressive revenge to take out on you since I love you too much to shoot you in the kneecaps for the crap you pulled,” he announced loudly as Coulson ragged him away towards his office.

Skye grinned and turned back to the others. “Yep, I think I did good,” she announced with a smug look.

Ward shot her a look. “You’ve created a monster,” he said flatly.

May shot her a searching look. “You did everything you shouldn’t do. SHIELD could have you arrested for that leak you committed,” she said, then tilted her head. “But off the record, Coulson is one of my oldest friends,” she said simply, sliding off her seat to go up to the cockpit and get started with pre-flight checks so that they could take off soon.

Skye just smiled to herself, looking down at her coffee with a nod. “Yep, I did good,” she muttered to herself decisively.


End file.
